JKLJourneys.com

I read recently that “there are travelers and there are tourists”. I like to think of myself as a traveler–someone who fully immerses themselves in the culture of the place they are visiting, someone who doesn’t just visit a country or city’s highlights. But that wouldn’t be true. At least at this point in my life; when children and employment largely dictate where and for how long I can be in a place; and with whom; when I’m away from home, I’m a tourist. And that’s ok. In many ways, the touristy places are touristy becuase they are worth seeing and everyone knows it. And of course, there are good touristy experiences and bad touristy experiences. A tour bus is a great way to see the best spots in a city if you’ve got limited time. But Times Square is a crowded mess and a pickpockets dream. The Tower of London is both creepy fun and a terrific history lesson. But The Guinness Storehouse is overbooked and the bar overlooking the city smells like a port-a-potty. (Save your euro for the Jameson Distellery-it’s far less crowded and the tour has an actual guide).

Still, the reason we travel is to see the world beyond the borders of the city or town in which we live; to experience cultures different from our own. And for that reason I do try to book one beach vacation and one educational vacation per year, if we are lucky enough to have 2 “airplane” vacations in a year. This year we were fortunate to travel to Aruba and Jamaica with our children, and then hubs and I went to Ireland while the girls were at sleep-away camp. (Yes, they were pissed). Next year, we will go to Mexico to stay at an all-incusive that also offers excursions to ruins and the like, and to Yellowstone and Grand Teton, where we will see all of the things. A little beach, a little education. We will love it. I dream of a day when I can rent a white-washed cottage in Ireland or a riad in Marrakech for a month, but for now, we will hit the touristy places and do the touristy things. Watch this space to hear all about them.